One meat, three vegetables, bread and sweet tea: the Tennessee plate-lunch format Chattanooga has kept alive since 1937 in cafeteria lines and counter rooms far from the tourist riverfront.
The meat-and-three is Tennessee's great contribution to the American lunch, born in workers' cafes where a rotating meat came with a chalkboard of vegetables cooked long and seasoned with pork. Chattanooga's version survived the drive-in era; Wally's on McCallie Avenue opened in 1937 and converted from burgers to homecooked meats and vegetables in the 1970s. The vegetables are the point, and mac and cheese counts as one, which is the correct position.
1 editor pick for Meat-and-three plate in Chattanooga, ranked by editorial score. All Chattanooga signature dishes · Meat-and-three plate across every city.
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